A Short History of the Honorary Colonel Position

While the Canadian tradition of appointing Honoraries to units originated with the British military, it has only been in practice in Canada for a little over a century. The first Honorary Colonel appointment in Canada was in 1895 when Lieutenant-Colonel the Honourable J.M. Gibson, a provincial secretary in the Ontario Government, was appointed to the 13th Battalion of Infantry.

The Air Force began the practice of nominating Honorary Colonels some 75 years later. The first appointment was that of Air Commodore Leonard Birchall, the well-known "Saviour of Ceylon," who was appointed to the 400 City of Toronto Squadron. He continued in that capacity until December 1992.

Other Air Reserve units and squadrons soon followed with nominations and appointments of Honorary Colonels and Lieutenant-Colonels but it was several years later before the Regular Force squadrons and units followed suit. Under the direction of Lieutenant-General Dave Huddleston, then Commander of Air Command, nominations suddenly grew for Regular Force squadrons, with the majority of appointments taking place in 1992. The only exception to that pattern was Squadron Leader Frank Hanton, DFC, recognized as the top "Train Buster" of the Allied Forces during the Second World War. His appointment as Honorary Colonel of 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School came three years earlier in May 1989.

More than 225 distinguished Canadians have served the Air Force through the Honorary Colonel programme since 1970. In fact, the program has seen the appointments of many well-known Canadian media personalities, sporting heroes and corporate executives throughout the years.

With approximately 60 current appointments at any one time, the Air Force Honorary Colonels' program provides a powerful and effective means to foster esprit de corps, promote and sustain strong community support and connect Canadians with their Air Force in all parts of the country.

A complete list of all current Canadian Forces Honorary Colonels is available from the Royal Canadian Air Force government site.